Tens of thousands of Malaysians thronged the open house by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad at Seri Perdana in Putrajaya today, in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Many were hoping to catch a glimpse of Mahathir at the event, the latter's first open house since returning to the premiership after a 15-year absence.

A long queue almost immediately formed outside the official residence where large tents were set up so that members of the public could shake hands with Malaysia's seventh prime minister and members of his cabinet.

Previously, the meet and greet sessions were only held inside the residence.

The large size of the crowd forced the emcee of the event to bar members of the public from taking selfies with Mahathir and the cabinet members so as to ensure the queue moved smoothly without any holdups.

Organisers placed the number of attendees at around 80,000, more than the expected number of 50,000. 

Malaysiakini observed that non-Malays made up almost half of those attending in contrast to previous open houses held by former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak which attracted a predominantly Malay crowd.

Chan Huei Chuen, a 40-year-old housewife, had brought along her three children as she was keen for them to meet with the popular prime minister.

"I want them to know (politics). I respect Dr Mahathir and I want my children to meet him (now, as) he's already 92 years old," she told Malaysiakini.

Many in the crowd had queued up for more than an hour in front of the stage just to shake hands with Mahathir. Despite sweating profusely from the heat, the crowd, which brought along their children and elderly, patiently waited for their turn to shake hands with Mahathir.

As a security measure, police present disallowed them from taking out their cell phones or water bottles.

Mahathir, who was clad in purple Baju Melayu and began the meet and greet session at 11.20am and later had to sit down before continuing. His wife Siti Hasmah joined him later.

Among those who turned to wish the prime minister were former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Berjaya Group executive chairperson Vincent Tan.

Bit of chaos

In his speech, Mahathir said many thanked for saving the country by ousting the administration of Najib Abdul Razak. He, however credited the victory to those who voted for the Pakatan Harapan.

"Not only Malays came to the open house but many Chinese and Indian who wear Baju Melayu. I have never seen this before," he said, adding: "God willing, this event can instil harmony this multiracial country which will portray a bright future."

"A true democracy can be achieved without resorting to violence and war."

Mahathir said while the new government did not allow "I love PM" placards and banners as under the previous government, many today had personally expressed their affection towards him.

Mahathir had to cut short his meet and greet session with the public to perform his Friday prayers. This caused huge disappointment among those who had yet to meet him and as of 1pm the crowd was still pouring into Sri Perdana despite Mahathir having left for prayers.

There was a bit of chaos when the massive crowd surged towards the front stage knowing Mahathir might leave soon. Fortunately, security personnel and staff were able to effectively manage the crowd with no untoward incident.

All visitors today received a gift box of cookies with a portrait Mahathir and Siti Hasmah on the cover